Trent Yawney

Head Coach

The 2013-14 campaign will mark the seventh season for Trent Yawney as head coach of the Norfolk Admirals. Yawney brings 13 seasons of coaching experience between the National Hockey League and American Hockey League. He also brings over 24 years of professional hockey experience having served as a player, scout and coach.

During the 2011-12 season, Yawney joined the Ducks then-affiliate the Syracuse Crunch on January 10, 2012 as Associate Head Coach, he guided the team to a 22-14-2-4 record – including a 15-3-1-1 record over the team's last 20 games – to jump from 14th place to seventh place in the Eastern Conference and earn a berth in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs. Yawney began the 2011-12 season as a pro scout for the Ducks – a position he also held in 2007-08.

Yawney's first tenure in Norfolk was as the first head coach in AHL Admirals history from 2000-01 through 2004-05. Under his leadership the Admirals went 189-144-42-25, qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of his five seasons. Yawney led the Admirals to back-to-back South Division titles in 2001-02 and 2002-03 and was named ‘Minor Pro Coach of the Year’ by the Hockey News following the 2003-04 season.

A native of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, Yawney has six years of NHL coaching experience. Most recently, Yawney served as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2008-09 through 2010-11. During his time with the Sharks, the team made two Western Conference Final appearances (2010, 2011) and won the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the NHL's best regular season record in 2008-09. Following his time in Norfolk, Yawney was head coach of the Blackhawks from 2005-07.

A defenseman, Yawney’s professional career spanned from 1988-1999. Drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (45th overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Yawney saw action in 593 NHL contests with Chicago, Calgary and St. Louis. He netted 27 goals and 129 points with 783 penalty minutes during his NHL career. Additionally, Yawney played in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, helping the Blackhawks to the Western Conference Finals in 1989 and 1990. After breaking his arm in a game in January 1999, Yawney began assisting the Blackhawks' coaching staff and later transitioned from playing to coaching full-time in 1999-2000.

Prior to turning pro, Yawney played for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League and for the Canadian National Team. He had 56 points (14g, 42a) in 184 games with Team Canada – including the Olympic Winter games in Calgary in 1988, where he served as the team’s captain.